Job Description

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)*, the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is seeking a Senior Stewardship Specialist / Stewardship Program Manager to support Wisconsin Medicine.

This exempt position reports to the Director of Medical Donor Relations and Stewardship and is a core member of the Wisconsin Medicine Stewardship Team. Key responsibilities include managing strategy and execution of individual and broad based impact communications, overseeing planned giving stewardship to ensure meaningful recognition and engagement, collaborating with the Dean’s Office to support faculty chair, professorship, and fellowship awarding and stewardship best practices, and contributing to the planning and execution of the School’s annual faculty investiture celebration.

The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and a background in advancement or donor stewardship. The role requires strong organizational, project management, and critical thinking skills; proficiency in Microsoft Office, including advanced Excel skills; and the ability to write clear, donor-centered communications. Strong interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while working independently and collaboratively are essential for this role. This position is a hybrid role and will require you to work in the office at least two days weekly.

Please note: This position can be filled as a Stewardship Program Specialist, Senior Stewardship Program Specialist or Stewardship Program Manager, depending on the skills/experience of the selected candidate.

Who is WFAA?The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is a private, nonprofit corporation that encourages individuals and organizations to make gifts to the university and to connect with the UW. In 2014, the UW Foundation merged with the Wisconsin Alumni Association® to better serve a growing population of UW alumni and donors. We believe that private support grows out of good relationships between campus leaders, faculty and program staff who need support, and the alumni and friends who want to invest in UW–Madison. We provide important engagement opportunities to link UW–Madison alumni to each other and to their alma mater, building a strong community of Badgers.

Diversity and Inclusion:

Just as the university community benefits from differing viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences, inclusion and diversity are imperative for the success of our mission. WFAA values people and the differences that they bring to the organization, and creates an environment in which all staff members and constituents feel respected and have opportunities to thrive.

Essential Functions

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Manage strategy and execution of individual and broad based impact communications. Responsibilities include story identification, content creation and project management.
• Oversee planned giving stewardship, including coordinating new commitment notifications, establishing best practices, and developing and executing a comprehensive stewardship strategy.
• Collaborate with the Dean’s Office to manage chair/professorship/faculty fellowship awarding and stewardship best practices.
• Provide support for the School of Medicine and Public Health’s annual faculty investiture celebration.
• Collaborate with fundraisers to develop stewardship strategies for their donors.
• Serve as the medical representative for the endowment financial report planning group

Other Responsibilities Include:

• Write copy for donor gratitude communications.
• Actively contribute input on current initiatives and share best practices from peer organizations.
• Tracks and enters award recipient information into Salesforce
• Utilize Salesforce to document stewardship activity and communications.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent combination of education and work experience
• 3 + years of experience in advancement and/or donor relations and stewardship or related experience.
• Excellent organizational, critical thinking, and project management skills
• Highly proficient in MS Office, including advanced knowledge of Excel

Other Qualifications:

• Strong writing skills with the ability to produce clear, donor-centered communications
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
• Comfortable with data manipulation and analysis.
• Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Dependable, highly-motivated and collaborative as well as the ability to work independently

At WFAA, we are dedicated to creating an inspiring, creative, and respectful work environment for our employees. We offer competitive pay and an outstanding benefits program, including a generous 10% 401k contribution after just one year of service! Join us and be part of a team that values your growth and well-being. Click here to learn more about our employee benefits!

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer *The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is the “doing business as” name of the merged organization comprising the University of Wisconsin Foundation (advanceuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.